NCP skips meet by Opposition parties

"We don't make big promises; rather we will perform and show. BJP govt is responsible and should punish the negligent, who caused this tragedy (sic)".

File image of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. "Wherever we have our governments, we stand by the farmers who make the country proud by toiling in their fields", he said in his Hindi speech. "If farmers are strong India will be strong, if they are weak India will become weak".

Speaking about article 371 (J), Gandhi said Congress has fought with the people for this for their development.

"I would not like to comment much about this situation as it is their problem".

"Summary: A meeting of state-level senior leaders of both the parties was called at Vidhan Bhavan, but senior NCP leaders gave it a miss", said the Congress leader. "This is the difference between us".

Saffron Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, praising the BJP party and saying that they are the only one that can rule the government of India.

"If they can exempt the top businessmen of taxes and loans in the country, why can't they exempt the farmers?" he said. "How fair is this?" The government however said that only seven had died and a probe has been ordered. Why didn't they think about the farmers that time?

The reason, sources said, might be the NCP being miffed with the Congress after it expressed doubt over its integrity. "It is now proved and youths have realized it", he said. He also recounted how some parties had chickened out of the plan to collectively protest against demonetisations past year.

Nitish is expected to formally announce his decision to join the NDA at the party's national executive meeting in Patna on August 19.

After the repeated defeats at the hands of the BJP in a series of elections and the party's aggressive push to establish footprints in non-BJP ruled states through other means, the Opposition leaders are working around the "unite or perish" principle. I want to tell our party workers that you are our strength.

"We should work for poor, weaker sections, Dalits, adivasis, backward classes and those in need of help. What we have done for them in the last four years, we will do more in the next five years after the poll", reiterated Gandhi.